One or more apparatus and methods exist for automatically preparing cassette spools wound with tape material, such as prepeg unidirectional tape, on original backing paper. This tape material may be used to form a laminate. In one existing apparatus/method, tape material on backing paper is unrolled from a supply reel, the tape material is cut into the required configuration, removed from the original backing paper, and then transferred to another release backing paper and wound onto a cassette spool. However, the transferring of the tape material to another backing paper may create problems. The tape material may lose some of its tacking ability, may not align as well on the new backing paper, may not adhere well to the new backing paper, and may have placement problems when placed on a working surface. Further, the new backing paper may tear, may delaminate from the tape, may stretch and/or have tension problems, may form wrinkles when the tape is placed onto a working surface, and/or may not allow good tacking of the tape material onto the working surface. This may cause problems with tape lifting from the working surface, or may cause wrinkles to be formed in the laminate during tape material layup. Moreover, the process of putting the tape material onto a new backing paper may require more than one machine, may increase the costs, may increase the time required, may reduce efficiency, and/or may lead to one or more other problems.
An apparatus, and/or method of removing composite scrap tape material from a backing paper, is needed to decrease one or more problems associated with one or more of the existing apparatus and/or methods.